The earliest airport in Fuzhou was Yixu Airport, which at the time operated as a dual‑use military and civil airport. It opened to civil aviation on 1 December 1974. Four years after the start of civil operations, Yixu Airport served only three routes, with an annual passenger throughput of just 88,000. The airport was very small: its runway was only 2,200 meters long, and it had no taxiways or connecting taxi routes. Aircraft had to taxi directly on the runway to reach the apron after landing. Large aircraft such as the Boeing 767 could take off and land only with reduced payload. Because of the limited number of flights and low passenger capacity, tickets were difficult to obtain.

In 1996, with the construction and opening of Fuzhou Changle International Airport, Yixu Airport completed its historical mission and reverted to exclusive military use. The newly built Fuzhou Changle International Airport, located more than 40 kilometers from the city center, was the first large modern international airport in China to be fully financed by a local government. Although the new airport initially had only one runway—3,600 meters long and 45 meters wide—a 137,000‑square‑meter terminal building, and 24 aircraft stands, its passenger‑handling capacity was far greater than that of Yixu Airport, with a designed annual capacity of 6.5 million passengers.

The Fujian provincial government once hoped that the new airport would eventually reach the standard of Singapore Changi Airport. However, after Fuzhou Changle International Airport officially opened in 1997, it quickly became clear that this ambition was unrealistic. In its early years, the airport suffered from low passenger volumes, which resulted in substantial financial losses and placed considerable pressure on its operations.

During the period from 1997 to 2022, the airport's operational performance fell far short of the original expectations, its debt reached more than 3 billion yuan in the first 4 years, and the airport fell into the predicament of insolvency. Persistent losses caused by insufficient passenger traffic made it clear that a more professional and modernized management structure was needed to improve efficiency and expand the route network.

In 2003, Fuzhou Changle International Airport underwent a major restructuring. In line with national civil aviation reforms and Fujian Province's development strategy, the airport abandoned its previous model of being solely funded and managed by the Fuzhou municipal government and began transitioning toward a shareholding and group‑based operational system. In the years that followed, provincial‑level capital—such as the Fujian Investment & Development Group—was introduced, diversifying the airport's ownership structure and strengthening its positioning as a modern international gateway. In 2003, the airport's management was taken over by Xiamen International Airport Group.

Three years later, beginning in 2005, Changle Airport achieved a remarkable turnaround from loss to profit. In the first year after restructuring, losses were reduced by 45 million yuan; in the second year, by another 30 million; and in the third year (2005), the airport recorded a profit of 5.95 million yuan. This restructuring laid a solid institutional foundation for the airport's subsequent development. It enabled Changle Airport to grow into Fujian's primary aviation hub, expand its route network, increase passenger throughput, and eventually launch its second‑phase expansion project—marking its transformation from a locally run airport into a regionally managed aviation hub.

By the end of 2005, the total debt borne by the Group on behalf of Changle Airport had fallen from 1.73 billion yuan to 940 million yuan. Passenger throughput reached 3.39 million, and cargo and mail volume reached 74,000 tons. In the future, Changle Airport and Xiamen Airport are expected to form two major aviation hubs in the north and south of Fujian Province.

On 30 November 2015, the passenger throughput of Fuzhou Changle International Airport surpassed 10 million for the first time, marking its official entry into the ranks of China's large airports.

In March 2015, the airport launched its second round of expansion works. Beginning in April 2018, the new air‑traffic‑control tower, the eastward extension of the main terminal building, the expanded international check‑in area, and the upgraded departure hall were successively completed and put into operation, significantly increasing the terminal's handling capacity.

In February 2017, XiamenAir operated Changle's first direct route to North America, with a Boeing 787-9 service to New York–JFK airport. On 11 December 2018, a second intercontinental route to Paris–Charles de Gaulle was launched.

On 11 June 2026, the new second runway was officially put into operation. Changle Airport was upgraded to 4F class airport. This marks it's the first 4F class airport is certified in Fujian province and also the 17th in China.